Once hair is prepped, take small sections at the nape, horizontally. Spray the hair with Ultimate Control prior to curling for maximum hold. Using the ¾-inch CHI Digital Orbit Iron, curl the hair section by section, working your way to the top of the head. Once curled, pin sections up at the crown to give height and form. To ensure lasting hold, nish with Ultimate Control spray and Rapid Shine for silky, shiny, healthy results.

Corinne Bailey Rae

SingerStylist: Ami Mankey of Madusalon in San Francisco

The key to this wash-and-go style is to amplify the natural curl pattern by making sure hair has enough moisture. Don’t completely rinse out conditioner after washing, then trickle some water on to re-wet hair. Before air drying, shake curls loosely. All the conditioner will give a soft, light hold and hair will also be frizz free. For extra pizzazz, scrunch in light-hold styling products on slightly wet hair. For extra volume when hair is dry, put client’s head upside down and rub ngers on the scalp to backcomb the curls with ngers, rather than a comb. This will provide volume without the frizz.

Hayden Panetierre

ActressStylist: Ami Mankey of Madusalon in San Francisco

For this easy-to-achieve, elegant updo, apply a light hold styling product after washing and conditioning hair. Let air dry or gently use a diffuser. Once dry, pull back hair into a loose bun. For the piece-y, slick look, gently glide pomade through hair using ngertips. To create the sexy pompadour on top, use the back of a rat tail comb to tease and lift hair from the roots. Finish with a little shine spray for bling and nishing spray for hold.

Jill Scott

Wash and condition the hair, then apply a leave-in conditioner and seal with a serum before blowing out the hair. Section hair with a dramatic angle from front to back, going in an “S” pattern.

Isolate one whole side of hair from the side where the braid pattern will be. Use a small amount of synthetic hair to support the cornrows, so the natural hair is protected. After completing one side of the head with the desired cornrow design, join all of the braids into one continuous braid that follows the S parting down the middle of the head from front to back.

Sew Bohyme human hair on the side of the head with the one continuous braid. Follow the pattern of the braid until the one side is complete, leaving the cornrow designs exposed. Once human-hair sewing has been completed on the one side, cut and shape the Bohyme hair, giving it volume. Finish the style with a luster and shine serum.

Texture: The Season of Texture!

By all appearances, fall 2010 will go down in fashion history as “the season of texture.” Dozens of notable fashion designers have eschewed straight strands, embracing instead all manner of curls, coils, crimps, waves and teased clouds of hair on their catwalks.

Miley Cyrus

On the West Coast, style setters are also advancing the texture trend. Nearly every red carpet is adorned with sexy, romantic textures, made popular by stars like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Kate Hudson, Charlize Theron and Beyonce.

And regardless of whether clients are starting out with natural curl, wave or pin-straight strands, everyone has texture options this season!

Natural Curl: Embrace and Refine

“Curly hair is coming into its own,” says Titi Branch, co-owner of Miss Jessie’s Products and Salon in New York. “Twenty years ago, we wouldn’t even be talking about curly hair because people straightened their curls.

Michelle Obama

“Now, women want to embrace their natural, healthy curl. Michelle Obama even wore curls to a state dinner recently— for her to do so really validates the beauty of the look.”

But curly can also be high maintenance, admits Branch, which is why the current trend is a smoother, looser curl pattern.

“This allows a woman to keep her curl,” she explains, “but refine it.” At Miss Jessie’s, this elongated curl is achieved with the salon’s proprietary “Silkener” service. The technique involves a sodium hydroxide relaxer and a method of manipulation that stretches, yet doesn’t straighten, the hair.

Curl definition is also imperative for Shawna Parvin’s curly clients, and the most modern approach, says the Aquage educator, NAHA 2009 Texture Winner and 2010 Hairstylist of the Year nominee, is to mix it up—random curl sizes, directions and even amounts of definition. “I’m telling my clients to start with a gel on damp hair,” she says, and comb it through scalp to ends. “Then wind sections of varying sizes, in every direction, so they look like little snakes. Don’t touch the hair until it’s completely dry, then move it around and even pull a few random pieces apart so there’s some fuzz mixed in with the curl. That’s what keeps curl from looking like the ’80s.”

Options are important for women with any texture, and naturally curly clients will always want blowouts for occasions when their hair must look polished, says Dickey, owner of New York’s Hair Rules Salon and hair products company. What makes blowouts look fresh this season, he says, is a voluminous, soft, Mad Men-inspired look, with lots of flattering movement around the face.

“Bone straight doesn’t work for most women,” he comments. “Waves and curls look softer on anyone—it’s ‘instant youth.’”

Making Waves—Keep it Raw

When it comes to creating curls and waves, the perfectly formed curls are evolving into a rougher, more raw-edged texture, says Chad Seale of Salt Lake City, another 2010 NAHA Texture finalist.

“Waves will be more vertical, looser, less constructed than we’ve seen in past seasons,” agrees Darby Shields, Associate Artistic Director of ISO International.

When it comes to these vertical waves, there’s also a new silhouette worth noting, adds Seale, namely, a flatter crown with more volume through the midlengths and ends. Seale loves this texture and shape on shorter-length bobs—actress Charlize Theron has been seen sporting the look. To permanently create this casual texture on tightly curly hair, Shields steers clients to the ISO Maintamer.

“This formula gives stylists plenty of control,” she explains. “Leave it on for five minutes, and it eliminates frizz but maintains the curl pattern. Leave it on for 30 minutes and it straightens more completely.”

To produce loose, ropey, “Gisele” texture with a thermal iron, Shields first mists strands with a combination of ISO Color Preserve Thermal Shield Spray and Daily Shape Working Spray, then wraps sections of hair vertically around the outside of a curling iron, simultaneously twisting each section onto itself like a rope. Once the hair cools completely, she gently releases the twists, revealing “a spiral, vertical wave with lots of internal torque.”

The flat iron is another excellent tool for creating this type of natural-looking body and texture. Many of today’s irons feature beveled plates, which give them the versatility to straighten and shape hair. One of Lina Shamoun’s favorite strategies is to divide hair into thin, one-inch sections, place the flatiron at the root, wind the section once around the iron and draw the tool through to the ends.

“When you release it, the hair will fall into a soft, flowing wave,” she explains.

The beach trend—textured, separated, sea-tossed strands—has generated a number of beach spray products that are great for supporting these looks or for use as stand-alone body boosters.

Color for Curl

With celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston leading the way, the hottest hair color trend of the moment is the graduated “I spent last month on the beach and now it’s growing out” effect. Characterized by deeper roots and lighter midshafts and ends, it’s a deliberate technique to approximate “vacation regrowth.” The look is perfect for the twists and turns of textured hair, as long as the technique is done correctly.

Seale believes baliage is the best strategy—this freehand hair-painting method allows the colorist to place the tint exactly where the sun would kiss each strand, namely, on the rounds and fullest parts of each curl and in an unstructured fashion.

“So if your client wears her hair curly,” Seale advises, “don’t blow her hair straight and do a color weave. You’ll get six different colors on one curl and that doesn’t work.”

Additionally, says Seale, opt for high-lift permanent colors when baliaging curls, rather than bleach. “Bleach tends to swell the hair and cause it to become dryer,” he believes.

This hair type is already susceptible to dryness, he adds, so it’s better to use hair color that tends to impart less damage. Shields agrees that baliage is the best way to achieve the dark-to-light look, and advises stylists to work with fairly large sections. “Apply your color to each section randomly,” she suggests. “And for your application pattern, let the trajectory of the waves guide you—dropping off of the crown. Try some ‘peek-a-boo’ foils under the surface, too.

“All of this will create a purposeful, grown-out look, which clients today love since it’s chic and it allows them to stretch their retouching dollars!”

Mizani Showcases Texture at Houston Forum

Being greeted by a six-foot-something model with an amazing afro is a great way to start off your day at a hair show. Stylists from around Texas gathered in Houston to spend their Monday learning about Mizani’s new line, True Textures. The day was spent discussing trends, learning new techniques, and strengthening salon business strategies. Guests were welcomed to the J.W. Marriott hotel on Monday, May 24.

Mizani technical educator and salon owner out of Memphis, Tenn., Geno Evans, opened the forum with information about the day’s activities and what each stylist had in store. Next up, Director of Education Veronique Morrison welcomed the stylists and helped everyone find the classes that they would be visiting throughout the day. Soon, the gorgeous and diverse models were being ushered down the runway with varying shapes and textures among them, and the room was buzzing with excitement and amazement over the natural hair designs.

Only two models had relaxed or pressed hair, which is a testament to the Mizani hair care brand. True Textures is Mizani’s newest line of natural hair products, showcasing the natural beauty of hair and embracing multi-textured individuals. The focus of the forum was definitely on embracing texture as a stylist and how it can affect your business.

One of the three classes was a business-building seminar for stylists wishing to gain more exposure within the beauty business. It was implemented by motivational speaker and celebrity stylist agent, Crystal Wright. During the hour and a half class, the stylists gained knowledge on building their portfolio, presenting themselves with poise, and how to maintain current in this ever-changing business. Wright loaded the class with tips and tricks that stylists anywhere could learn from. The latest edition of her book, Hair Makeup & Fashion Styling Career Guide, has been a smashing success in the beauty industry, giving stylists the tools and resources to achieve their career goals. Wright brought along her assistant and beauty-industry guru, Remmy Vasquez, to demonstrate appropriate portfolio techniques.

The other two classes offered were “Clip That Curl”, taught by Evie Johnson and Darico Jackson. The class offered hands-on experience for each student to implement The Pequot method of hair-cutting, Mizani’s most popular of their “Trend” looks. Stylists were also given presentations by Bizlink and Integrity Solutions to support the growing demand for an electronically compatible salon in today’s market.

True Textures by Mizani has come back into the multi-textured hair market and is making waves.